The elections in Iraq are over with relatively lower number in violent incidents and attacks against the voters. A positive sign indeed of the progress Iraq has achieved, manifesting jubilation and declaring the beginning of a new era, however, is premature.
We must keep in mind that the government in Baghdad is operating from behind a very fortified zone, the green zone, and it is protected by heavy military and police, this detachment will render any effective governance unattainable. The call from many religious scholars in Iraq, for Iraqis to participate in the democratic process and abstain from violent protests is a glad tiding of the leadership maturity the leaders have reached. Yet, The real test to this civic maturity is the weeks and months after the U.S. withdraws its troops from the country. When the government and its leaders are literally exposed to the skeptics of its legitimacy.
